Patrick Hope calls for changes in Fairfax voting

Calls for more early voting locations; Fairfax only doing early voting at Fairfax County Government Center in 11th District

With early absentee voting scheduled to begin next week, Patrick Hope (D-Arlington) issued the following statement about early in-person voting locations.

“The 8th district has four localities- Arlington and Fairfax counties as well as the cities of Falls Church and Alexandria. Three of those four localities are compact geographically- and are entirely in the 8th district. In those localities- Arlington, Falls Church and Alexandria- there is one early vote center at the electoral board office, which makes sense for these more compact localities.

Fairfax County is a different situation. The only opportunity to vote in person in Fairfax is also at the electoral board office, however, it is located in western Fairfax County near the border of the 10th and 11th Congressional districts. For many 8th district residents in Mt. Vernon, it is more than a 20 mile drive to the government center. Roundtrip, many 8th district residents in Fairfax will likely have to spend more than an hour in the car in order to vote absentee in person.

This is unacceptable. I understand that Fairfax has not traditionally had early vote locations other than the main government center for primaries. However, while that may have worked well for an 11th district primary, or a 10th district primary, it does not serve the residents of the 8th district. I call on the Fairfax County electoral board to reconsider their decision, and to open early vote locations in the 8th district for this primary. The 8th district includes precincts furthest from the government center- and I would like to see at least one early vote location in south county for Lee and Mt. Vernon districts, and at least one in northeastern Fairfax for our precincts in the Dranesville, Providence and Mason districts.”

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